Fire bloomed thin and tight over his body, a second skin. Fire Cloak and the surge of speed and strength was immediate.
He launched upward, smashing aside incoming fire spikes with his left hand. With his right, he drove a flaming punch through the creature's second head as if crushing overripe fruit.
From three heads to one. The remaining head shrieked, lashing out with a brutal hook that slammed into Kaedros' jaw, snapping his head back and sending him crashing down.
The Nightmare descended after him, wings rigid, glaring at the space where its heads had been. "You dare take my head?"
Kaedros touched his jaw, the ache throbbing deep. Without the Fire Cloak, it would have broken. "Why so angry? We're fighting, you expect me not to hit you?"
The creature didn't rise to the taunt. Instead, it charged, black-fire blade in hand. Kaedros met the rush with his fists, focusing all his effort on deflecting the deadly weapon, but his counterstrikes lacked the force to break through.
